Myopia Control

What to Know About Myopia Control

Finding out your child has myopia might feel overwhelming. Yet, it’s a very common vision problem, affecting millions of people worldwide. Myopia is usually diagnosed in school-age children through regular eye exams. Once diagnosed, treatment aimed at slowing down myopia is started as soon as possible. The treatment functions to prevent future eye problems and eye diseases in adulthood.

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What Is Myopia?

Another word for myopia is nearsightedness. It’s a vision condition occurring when the eyeball grows too long, or the cornea (front of the eye) is too curved.

Symptoms might include:

Distant objects appear blurry
Frequent blinking & squinting
Headaches or eye strain

Controlling Myopia in Childhood

Myopia control is a preventative treatment that can work with your child’s growing eyes. The treatment is designed to slow eye growth.

Without treatment, your child’s eyes can continue to grow longer in comparison to the curvature of the cornea, worsening myopia and potentially leading to lifelong vision complications. Myopia increases the risk of developing cataracts, glaucoma, retinal damage, and macular degeneration.

Managing Your Child’s Myopia

While there isn’t a cure for myopia, treatment and control methods are available.

Atropine Drops

Low-dose atropine drops are given to your child at bedtime. The drops work by enlarging the pupil, relaxing the eye’s focusing mechanisms. Using atropine drops during a child’s growth years have shown to reduce myopic progression by stimulating slowed eye growth.

Orthokeratology (Ortho-K)

Ortho-k treatment consists of rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses worn by your child overnight. The lenses are inserted at bedtime to help gently reshape the cornea while your child sleeps and then removed in the morning. Your child can then enjoy clear, lens and frame-free vision during the day.

Multifocal Contact Lenses

Multifocal contact lenses help slow the progression of myopia by refocusing multiple light sources. The lenses can sharpen distance vision while preventing the eye from receiving growth signals, slowing myopic development.

Some children enjoy the freedom from glasses, allowing them to experience clearer vision with a more natural field of view.

Multifocal Glasses

Multifocal glasses, like multifocal contact lenses, help slow myopia progression and sharpen vision. The lenses help refocus multiple sources of light, contributing to a slower rate of eye growth to reduce worsening myopia.

Serving Your Child’s Lifelong Vision

Myopia control can help you protect your child’s visual future. We want to work with you and your child to find a solution appropriate for their eye health and daily needs. Request an appointment today.